No Marvin yesterday. Didn’t feel the need, and goddamn it, I’m not gonna listen to it if I don’t want to. The main thing of note yesterday was that I listened to one album twice. Got to the end, and started again. The new-ish Dexys album. The last Dexys Midnight Runners album, Don’t Stand Me Down is one of my favourite records. It’s a beautiful piece of work. I even liked the Kevin Rowland solo covers album My Beauty. But, it’s thirteen years since that solo album, and 27 years since a Dexys album.

That’s a long time, isn’t it? It can be an odd experience as a fan when a band you like puts out a new record. It seemed like such a long time when we were all waiting for the second Stone Roses album. But, really, five years between albums doesn’t seem that long now, does it? A three year gap these days seems pretty normal. And five is just a couple more, isn’t it, maths fans? But, I suppose with Dexys, nobody is talking about them, they’re not in the music press regardless of their absence, like the Stone Roses seemed to be during their five years. With the Stone Roses, it was like waiting for a bus that you know will come at some point, but the act of waiting is a very front-of-your-brain thing. With Dexys, I wasn’t actively waiting. Maybe there’ll be a bus at some point, but, the radiator is on, and I’m quite happy sat here in my living room watching Trading Places on DVD.

It would be wrong to talk about time between records without taking about Kraftwerk, of course. Seventeen years between 1986’s Electric Café and 2003’s Tour de France Soundtracks. Seventeen years and the occasional rumour that something was going on. That seemed like a long time, but, it’s nine years now since Tour de France Soundtracks and that hardly feels like any time at all. Time is all stretchy and interesting.

The other end of that is too many records. I used to quite like Ryan Adams. Saw him live one time in a church in Berlin. Lovely, it was. But: too many albums, dude. I just couldn’t get to know a record before a new one came along. Looking at Wikipedia, he’s done thirteen albums since 2000. And the time that I was into him, he did eight albums between 2000 and 2005. When he put out three albums in 2005, I kinda gave up after the first of those.

Blah blah blah, all in all, it seems like one album every 18 months to two years would be just about perfect. There: sorted out the music industry. Next!

Yesterday’s albums. Left to right, top to bottom:
Electra Heart – Marina & the Diamonds
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do – Fiona Apple
Arular – M.I.A.
Red Apple Falls – Smog
One Day I’m Going to Soar – Dexys